Adam Walker - About

I was completely thrilled and honoured to be given a BBT Fellowship in 2010. To receive this kind of support is very special. It came at such a perfect time when I had just graduated and started as principal flute of the LSO and has made possible projects that I had only dreamed about before. To have the wealth of experience BBT brings is a privilege and I am very excited about the process of commissioning a concerto and recording.

A multi-faceted artist with a ferocious appetite for repertoire, British flautist Adam Walker is an outstanding ambassador for his instrument, committed to bringing the flute to new audiences in settings ranging from solo recitals through to large-scale orchestral works. With a curious and creative approach to programming, his interests range from lesser-known French Baroque repertoire through to newly commissioned works. His assured virtuosity is seemingly boundless, thrilling audiences and critics alike. As well playing with the world’s the leading orchestras and conductors, he is also committed to playing chamber music with friends and colleagues that include other BBT alumni such as James Baillieu, Mahan Esfahani, Alec Frank-Gemmill, Ema Nikolovska and Sean Shibe.

Adam’s BBT award supported his warmly received debut album Vocalise (Opus Arte) with a programme inspired by song and the human voice featuring primarily 20th century music from Poulenc to Bartók. BBT also helped realise Adam’s wish to commission a new work, including a London showcase and fundraising recital. This scintillating new flute concerto by Huw Watkins was premiered in 2014 with the London Symphony Orchestra (with whom Adam had been principal flute since the age of 21) conducted by Daniel Harding and was enthusiastically received: “Walker, playing with staggering virtuosity and charm, kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout, and brought the house down at the end” (The Guardian). An insight into the value of both projects is revealed in a short BBT film, Vocalised Talent.

Adam also participated in BBT’s 20th anniversary celebrations at London’s Wigmore Hall in 2023.

Adam was supported with a BBT Fellowship between 2010 and 2014.

For a current biography please visit adamwalkerflute.com or maestroarts.com

Photographs by Christa Holka